Deacons Play in Snowy Boston Nothing to Sneeze At
Aberration—the act of departing from the right, normal or usual course.
Watch out for aberrations. They skew what we think we know.
The Wake team that had its way with BC in snowy Boston today in Jeff Bzdelik’s first road ACC win with the Deacons is the one everyone here hoped they would see coming into the season. Travis McKie was a beast, the best player on the court. C.J. Harris, playing with the patience and calmness of a 12-year NBA veteran, provided the steady hand. Tony Chennault, whose fearlessness and drive can, on his good days, make up for his limitations, never stopped attacking the goal.
And the two-headed monster in the middle, Ty Walker and Carson Desrosiers, made a bad day much worse for BC’s fledgling big men. As Bzdelik made mention afterward, their combined stat-line of eight points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks was the stuff of an All-ACC center. Walker was especially imposing, making Dennis Clifford look like the raw freshman that he is. Walker, who sat out the first semester for disciplinary reasons, has easily been my biggest surprise so far.
My takeaway from the 71-56 victory is that it’s making last week’s meltdown against N.C. State look more and more like an aberration. I’m talking the 36-point spread, not the fact the Pack won. Pretty much all teams have aberrations over the course of a season. If you don’t believe it, ask North Carolina. And I would imagine the more tenuous and fragile the team, the more likely they are to occur.
And the Deacons, for as good as they looked today, remain tenuous and fragile and probably will at least until the cavalry arrives next season.
But other than the no-show against the Wolfpack, the Deacons’ performance thus far in ACC play has been nothing to sneeze at. They already have more conference wins than they got all last year, and even in the losses at Maryland and Duke showed some resolve and cohesion. They’re a better team than they were last year, mainly, as I’ve written a couple of times before, because they are a team. They’re playing for each other and at least trying to do what the coach tells them to do.
Many arduous, uphill miles still have to be covered before Bzdelik gets the program back to where Wake fans feel it belongs. And it has yet to be determined that he’s the man to get it there. He did have a good day today. He got the mismatches he needed to get the most from McKie and when BC sprang its zone trap, the Deacons drove a stake in its heart with drives to the basket. Wake had practiced against the trap Friday. It was ready.
I’ll have a better feel about the Deacons chances against Florida State Saturday after I watch the Seminoles play Duke here at 4 p.m. Here’s hoping Wake can make a good day all the better by getting airborne in Boston to make it home by dinner time.
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By Dan Collins on 01/21/2012 (3:30 pm)
Comments
I am of course thrilled to get a win. However, I don’t think it is fair to take the long view of our losses without doing the same for the victories. At this point in the season, I think it is pretty clear what this team brings to the table in terms of talent, which will be upgraded over time, and attitude, which is absolutely headed in the right direction.
As such, I’m thrilled with the win over Boston College inasmuch as every good team beats the teams it’s supposed to beat. Given that our team has failed to “hold serve” at least once this year (Wofford), the BC game marks some progress. Hopefully we can continue to grow over the course of the year.
DC on 01/23/2012 (11:59 am)
If Wake continues to put forth that kinds of effort on both sides of the court, the wins will come. Harris and Chennault were relentless in their driving and finding open players. Walker and Derosiers chopped the head off BC’s post attack. McKie was awesome. Another big reason Wake won this game was its balance on the offensive end…Mescheriakov 6, Walker 6, Chennault 9, and the biggest one, IMO, Fischer with 13. Wake has to get Fischer looks, the guy can shoot it. Also, it would be nice if Wake treated every game like a ‘must-win’ because they sure played with ‘must-win’ urgency against the Eagles…amazing how that works.
Casey on 01/23/2012 (11:12 am)
This was a good team win. I am very happy for the players. The next three games should tell us what this team is made of: FSU, Clemson, and UNC. Win two of three of these games and we are moving in the right direction. Lose all of them then maybe we should start holding our breath again. As of today Wake is tied for 7th in the ACC (along with Clemson and Boston College). At this point I can’t say that two wins in the ACC is a referendum to keep Bzzz as head coach however once again Bzzz has a chance to prove alot of people wrong in these next three games. Time will tell.
Craig Carter on 01/23/2012 (10:52 am)
it was a team worth watching — for a delightful change. Just hoping this was not the aberration. Talent sure does mean a lot doesn’t it ! and coaching/leadership not to panic when the lead got seriously challenged—and I for one was not worried at that time.
Paul on 01/22/2012 (9:03 pm)
Ty Walker is what Ty Walker has always been. When Bzdelik benched him last year, he was leading the nation in blocked shots. Ty Walker is behind where he should be because Jeff Bzdelik used miserable judgment last season.
Should Gaudio have redshirted him? Absolutely! Bzdelik should have redshirted Chennault last season too.
We had a clear talent advantage yesterday and it showed. And clearly we have talent, talent enough to finish in the top half of this league. But we have to be coached and put players in a position to succeed.
JoeyD on 01/22/2012 (11:42 am)
It is an absolute shame that Coach Gaudio did not put his fut down and redshirt Ty Walker his freshman year. What it Ty had another year of eligibility next year? He could really have developed into a special player. I’m glad to see how much he has improved under Coach Bzdelik, but I sure wish he would be around next year too. Alas.
Matt on 01/22/2012 (9:49 am)
That was an enjoyable game to watch. Got a little nervous when that big lead disappeared, but as you said, they are playing as a team. I think Bzdelick did a very good job with them. I don’t expect a win against FSU on Wednesday, but we are catching them at the right time, so there is always hope!
Jim on 01/22/2012 (9:36 am)
Breathe. Bzdelik needs the opportunity to do this the right way. Whether you take over a business or a basketball team, one thing is true - if everything was OK, you would not be there. Wake Men’s Hoops needed to be cleaned up. I am thankful the NCAA was not involved. Bzdelik cleaned house and the talent difference is obvious. The question for this year is can he put the boys in position to win the 50/50 games (GT, VT, Clem, Miami)? Like Dan said, I hope the NCSU game was the exception to the rule. Is this a team I can support? Do they represent the university well? Do they need to compete the Duke and UNC by 2013-2014? Yes, yes, and if Bzdelik wants to keep his job, Yes.
Tony on 01/22/2012 (9:04 am)
Country,
Bet you enjoyed the game being home in cozy N.C. Least you are not having to slip & slide around Beantown!
Tom Willis on 01/21/2012 (4:59 pm)
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